Chapter 1: What are STAAR Surgical's preliminary net sales expectations for Q1 2026?
Welcome to Seeking Alpha's Wall Street Breakfast, where we cover the top news for investors every morning. It's good to be with you on this Thursday, the 9th of April. I'm Julie Morgan. Star Surgical Company is on our biggest movers list ahead of market open. STAA is up 21% in pre-market action.
On Wednesday, Star said that it expects first quarter net sales to exceed $90 million, more than double from $42.6 million a year earlier. The company said China accounted for the majority of the increase, while the Americas posted continued double-digit growth.
Starr added that improved sales and a lower cost structure are expected to lead to a significant improvement in adjusted EBITDA for the quarter. The company noted that first quarter 2025 sales were impacted by minimal shipments to China as distributors reduced excess inventory, which it said has now returned to targeted levels. Consensus revenue for Q1 is $67.59 million.
Chapter 2: How is Disney restructuring its workforce under CEO Josh D'Amaro?
Starr said the figures are preliminary and unaudited, with full results to be reported in early May. Disney is preparing to eliminate approximately 1,000 positions. According to a Wall Street Journal report citing sources, This is happening in the coming weeks as the new CEO begins a strategic reorganization.
The workforce reductions represents less than 1% of Disney's approximately 231,000 global staff. The report added, citing people familiar with the matter, It will primarily target the company's marketing department. It also said the workforce reduction is a central component of Project Imagine, a strategic initiative launched in January under Disney's newly appointed chief marketing officer.
The program seeks to consolidate promotional operations across film, TV, and streaming to address narrowing profit margins and a volatile theatrical market. Low-cost copies of semaglutide from Novo Nordisk are reshaping India's obesity drug market and cutting into Eli Lilly's early lead.
Chapter 3: What impact do cheap semaglutide copies in India have on Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly?
Within days of generics launching, semaglutide share rose to 33 percent in March from 25 percent. Terzepatide, which is the active ingredient in Lilly's manjaro, fell to 64 percent from 71 percent, according to PharmaRack. Lilly will lose exclusivity on the drug in the next decade. This shift shows how quickly cheaper versions can take market share once patents loosen.
Now for a look at a few other articles that are trending. OpenAI's CFO says it is planning retail IPO share allocation. Besant flags urgency on a crypto bill amid gaps in regulation. And Meta's Muse Spark reportedly trails OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic in early benchmarks. A couple of items on our catalyst to watch for the day. Dow will hold its annual meeting.
Chapter 4: What are the latest developments in OpenAI's retail IPO plans?
Shareholders will vote on new directors, a stock incentive plan amendment, and choosing the frequency of future say-on-pay votes. and a couple of presenters at the J.P. Morgan Retail Roundup Forum, the CFOs of Walmart and Home Depot.
And on Wall Street, stock index futures are lower before the opening bell, as hopes of a resolution to the U.S.-Iran conflict wane following warnings from President Trump of a major escalation. Crude oil is up 3.2% at $97, Bitcoin is up 0.5% at $71,000, and gold is up 0.1% at $47.28. The FTSE 100 is down 0.25%, and the DAX is down 1%.
Applied Digital is on our list of the biggest movers of the day pre-market. APLD is down 5%, even as the company reported a blowout 139% year-over-year revenue surge. However, the bottom line was weighed down by a more than $100 million net loss, largely linked to its cloud services spinoff. And a few items on today's economic calendar, all at 8.30 a.m.
Chapter 5: How are current economic indicators affecting the stock market today?
GDP, jobless claims, and personal income and outlays. That's it for today's Wall Street Breakfast. Thanks for listening. To take full advantage of Seeking Alpha with coverage on significant stocks and ETFs, become a premium subscriber. Check out seekingalpha.com slash subscriptions. I'm your host, Julie Morgan. Go out and make it a great day.